Shloka 4
Adhyāya 122 — Śruta-vṛtta-yukta Brāhmaṇa and the Ethics of Dāna
Maitreya–Vyāsa Saṃvāda
कीट! मैं जानता हूँ, अपने पूर्वकृत पापोंके कारण तुम्हें कीटयोनिमें आना पड़ा है। यदि इस समय तुम्हारी धर्मके प्रति श्रद्धा है तो तुम्हें धर्म अवश्य प्राप्त होगा ।।
vyāsa uvāca | kīṭa! jānāmi pūrvakṛta-pāpaiḥ kāraṇaiḥ tvāṃ kīṭa-yoniṃ prāptavān asi | yadi etasmin kāle te dharme śraddhā asti, tarhi avaśyaṃ dharmaṃ prāpsyasi || karma-bhūmi-kṛtaṃ devaḥ bhuñjate tiryagāś ca ye | dharmo 'pi hi manuṣyeṣu kāmārthaś ca tathā guṇāḥ ||
毗耶娑说道：“虫啊！我知道，你因往昔所作之罪，才堕入虫胎。然而即便此刻你仍对正法怀有信心，你也必将得正法。诸天、人类以及生为禽兽者，皆在此世——业之田地——受用自己所作之业果。在无明之人中，连所谓‘正法’也常被以欲望为目的而奉行；他们采纳德行与品性，多半只是为求欲望得遂。”
व्यास उवाच
Educational Q&A
Past actions lead to one’s present birth and experiences, but sincere faith in dharma can still lead to moral and spiritual uplift. The verse also warns that in ignorance people often practice ‘dharma’ for the sake of desire and gain, treating virtues as tools for personal ends rather than as commitments to truth and right order.
Vyāsa addresses a worm, explaining that its low birth is the result of prior sins. He then offers a path of hope: if the creature now has faith in dharma, it can attain dharma. He broadens the point into a general reflection that gods, humans, and animals all undergo the fruits of karma, and that many humans pursue dharma only as a means to fulfill desires.